PHANTOM FEAST by Diana Barron
Barkclay Books, LLC - August 2001
ISBN: 1-92402-21-3 - Trade Paperback
Horror / Suspense
Extreme violence, moderate language & sexual content

Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com
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Erin and her "family" have made a nice home in the house on Dalton Street in Hester, New York. There are six of them, Erin, who makes the living for them all, her older brother and sister, Patrick and Sarah, the twin midgets who live in the cottage in back of the house, Mickey, Isolde, and Beau, the three dwarves who live in the house with Erin.

All of them are outcasts. Patrick and Sarah were forced out of the house because they weren't "normal." Erin was tormented in school because of her weight, Mickey was tormented because of his size, Isolde was an orphan and adopted by a family who loved her only for her cooking, and Beau joined them because he somehow knew about Erin and the magical paintings Sarah had made.

When people in Hester began to vanish, no one suspected there was any connection to the house on Dalton Street. After all, there was no sign of a body, just a pool of blood. But what were those animal sounds coming from the back yard? And why did Hester suddenly disappear, leaving its citizens in the African savannah?

PHANTOM FEAST is a perfect book for a dark, stormy, moonless Halloween night, sitting curled up by the fire and with your elephant gun within easy reach. There are no witches and warlocks, just a few midgets, dwarves, the fat lady, and several ghosts. It is not a book for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. It is, however, a feast for the die-hard fan of horror.